Queen Draudillon looked around the 'waiting room' in which Momonga left her in after their arrival. Being provided with a personal maid was to be expected.
Being provided with such an utterly beautiful maid was another thing entirely. With long red hair done in braids and a wide, charming smile on her face, that was a very different thing.
"My name is Lupusregina Beta. -su" She said and curtseyed to the Queen with a slightly bowed head.
Queen Draudillon could not shift into a dragon's body. But she still had many of the senses and skills of one of her grandfather's line. Specifically, she had a keen eye for wealth, and a keen eye for power. This one… this maid with a sweet smile on her face? This one was dangerous.
"I'm here to see to whatever you like while my master, Lord Momonga, speaks with the Guardian Overseer. -su"
"Guardian Overseer?" General Oma asked, it was a relief to her that she still had her sword, though she had her doubts about its usefulness.
"The one who administers the affairs of Nazarick, minding the guardians and all the staff. She answers only to Lord Momonga himself. -su" Lupusregina replied, and it was some small relief to Oma that the question was so readily answered.
"I see. Thank you for that information. I wouldn't want to address anyone improperly, even a servant, at Lord Momonga's banquet." General Oma bowed to the maid, it would have been unthinkable for her to do so in any other circumstances… but having seen the maid's master annihilate a beastman army and turn the tide of war in mere minutes? 'Any haughtiness, even toward a simple maid, is dangerous. No matter his greatness or magnanimity, my best behavior is vital!'
"Ah, so our Lord told you he was inviting you for a banquet. Of course he did, he's always so far ahead…" For an instant the cheerful, happy smile on Lupusregina's face completely fled, as if learning she'd failed her master somehow. "Why don't I start you on some tea and some light snacks, -su then take you on a tour of my master's home before you eat? -su" Lupusregina suggested, and frankly, she sounded almost desperate for them to agree, making another deep curtsey, even lower than before, as she asked.
"Tea would be lovely." Queen Draudillon replied, and gesturing toward a waiting table and chairs, she and Oma moved from where they stood to claim a place to sit.
"At your pleasure, ladies. -su" Lupusregina replied and almost fled from the room.
'How could we miss this?! Every time he leaves he comes back with someone new! How could we have so failed to anticipate Lord Momonga?! How?!' Lupusregina cried out inside her head as she raced down the hall, for this, she ran on all fours after shifting to her werewolf form, and regretted that she hadn't the magic skill for a message. Instead as she raced down the hall, every time she came across one of her sisters or even one of the other homunculus maids, she spat out the words as fast as she could.
"Wemessedup!LordMomongaishavingeveryguestbroughttogetherforabanquetwehavetohurryandgetreadyspreadthewordtoeverybodyasfastasyoucan!"
Some were quick on the uptick, others not so much, it took them several seconds of dumb staring after Lupusregina grabbed their arm and got up close to their faces and whispered Momonga's orders as fast as she could.
The dawning understanding that her haste was born of their own failure to anticipate his wishes was enough to strike horror on their faces one by one. Solution was so panicked that she began to slip into her slime form in horror.
Entoma began to chitter her mandibles together as she raced toward the dining hall. None of them handled the prospect of failure well, and all of Nazarick was briefly, complete and utter chaos.
The kitchens went into overdrive to prepare meals for all of Gazef's soldiers, and Gazef, and Enri and Nemu and Brain and Climb and Renner, the whole of the tomb was beyond distraught as the cacophony rose up to…
"Hurry Up!"
It was the new rallying cry, one even Sebas Tian was not immune to when word reached him and he tasked his team of elite butlers to conduct a rehearsal of service forms in the dining hall.
Empty silver dishes were laid out and they practiced removing the silver domes in perfect sync, he even activated his special skill, "Summon Beethoven" to ensure a musician was ready and seated in the corner, ready to play whatever fine formal music was desired for the guests.
"We must not fail Lord Momonga." He said, standing at the head of the table to watch as his butlers, followed by his maids, performed together to ensure not a hair was out of place.
Elsewhere, their guests were prepared, with the common soldiers of Gazef Stronoff being given impromptu classes in proper manners at a noble's table.
"What… what have we done to deserve an honor like this…?" They all asked, and Gazef had no answer to give that made sense to him except to say…
"This must be the kind of Lord he is."
And the esteem both he and his followers had for Lord Momonga of Nazarick grew by leaps and bounds, every man doubling and redoubling their efforts at keeping any hint of disgrace for themselves, Gazef, or their Kingdom at bay.
Cocytus was the first of the guardians to learn of the intended meal, and it was when he was instructing an exhausted, but smiling Enri. She was smiling despite missing several teeth, waiting for a healing spell so she could try 'that move' again.
When Yuri Alpha brought the word to him, he immediately stored his weapon into his pocket dimension and said, "You. May. Go. Bathe. Eat. Well. Train. Tomorrow."
Enri could only bow by using the tip of her sword in the arena's sands to hold herself up. "Thank you for teaching me today, Lord Cocytus." She said as the pain vanished and CZ Delta splashed her with the healing potion.
She meant it too, the lesson of her village's ill preparedness was not lost on her. 'How many villages died because we were weak and unprepared?' It was a question that haunted her from the first hour of safety up until the present.
And it was something she wanted to see change. 'Bandits should never be able to come to a village expecting easy prey. We work hard on the land, we work hard for our Lords and ourselves, we should be able to live well because… we're worth protecting. Even if that just means we protect ourselves.'
As the hot water soaked her to the bone and exhaustion left her, she enjoyed the brief fantasy of a nationalized village militia, of what they might accomplish if they did more to protect themselves… how many more might live?
'At least my own would have.' She thought, and she was still thinking about that when CZ arrived with a dress for the banquet.